260 Remington Questions

Is the chamber going to be throated for long high BC bullets?

What is the twist of the barrel?

The brass is a once through. I like to anneal it before and after.
Depending on the brass and the chamber. It might require neck turning. Mine did.

It is so close to the 6.5 that it's silly.

I'm a .260 Rem fan. If you're ordering a prefit, take a look at a .260 Ackley. You'll pull away from the 6.5 Creedmoor. Jest sayin'.

Just a vote of confidence.

I always thought the .260 was a great idea. I was sorry that it never got the popularity that it deserved.

I bet it can equal anything similar that has been produced since.

Enjoy it. It's damn near perfect as far as I'm concerned.

I've settled on the 139 gr Scenar as the only bullet I shoot anymore in my 6.5 CM. Accuracy is outstanding and it has proven to be a good hunting and target bullet. There are bullets with higher BC's but that bullet will easily get me to 1000 yards if I ever try to shoot that far. So far nothing past 600 yards.

How does it compare to 6.5 Creedmoor?

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With hunting bullets 130 gr and lighter the 260 is capable of a little more speed than the 6.5 CM. The 6.5's advantage is it's ability to shoot the heavier 140-150 gr bullets that most factory 260's won't handle. Factory 260 barrels aren't twisted correctly for the heavier bullets, nor are the chambers or magazines designed for heavier, longer bullets. The longer bullets won't fit the mag or chamber unless they are seated very deep in the case. Which limits powder capacity.

The long range boys were proving that 6.5mm worked great at pretty long range, but they were working with custom rifles designed to work with out of spec 260 loads to get there. The 6.5 CM was designed to offer a factory rifle and ammo that would duplicate what those guys were doing with modified 260 rifles.

Tis true that the 260 will do anything the 6.5 CM will do, but only with modified rifles and ammo loaded out of spec that wouldn't work in a factory 260 rifle.

With a good scope, is this a 1000 yard caliber?

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Yes. You'll probably not be able to take advantage the very best high BC bullets in a 260 chamber or barrel. But you should still be able to get to 1000 yards with it.

My Savage 260 shot everything from 85 gr Sierras to all types of 140s. It will stack the Hornady 160 RN at 300 meters using IMR 7828. I never ran run out of space in my mags even when chasing lands with the 140 bthpm.

It's easier to start with 243 brass.

bluejay75 said:

Greetings Gents,

Have settled on 260 Remington as a Long Range solution to a Savage SA that needs some love.

Questions....

Is reforming 308 to 260 Remington a lube well/ single pass through a 260 Die?
Does anyone use a the 6.5 Scenar in it?
How does it compare to 6.5 Creedmoor?
With a good scope, is this a 1000 yard caliber?
Suggest a bullet and a load.

Thanks in advance. Any comments welcome.

JB

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I would recommend www.northlandshooterssupply.com. for a new barrel I like Criterion brand in 1-8 twist 260 AI match or 6.5 x47 Lapua , they can supply the reamer print in advance therefore you'll know exactly what your getting as far as specs like'' free bore '' that will assist in bullet selection.

In my standard .260 Rem I'm shooting 142 grain SMKs over 42.0 grains of H414. My 26-inch barrel gives me 2,770 fps. About out of H414, though, so have some test loads built with RL16.

bluejay:
I regularly neck 308 brass down to 260 prior to FF'ing for 260AI. One pass, lubed, like you note, using RCBS standard 260 FL die. I like necking down, rather than going up.. Make sure your die makes the shoulder right dimension and watch headspace creation.

Like Legionaire, I like the AI version, but each to his own. For me, it's fun having something different.
-West out.

Be sure to get a 1/8” twist!
My REM M7 has an advertised 1/10” twist but by actually measuring its 1/11”.
Great for bullets up to 123gr (plastic tip boattails), but shoots shotgun patterns with a 129gr SST, and won’t hit a 100yd berm with a 140gr SST.
However 160gr Sierra RN over RL22 will shoot MOA.
NOT my favorite rifle, but definitely a “keeper”.

deletion

my rem 700 in .260 has a 1x8 twist and 24 " barrel and likes n-560,the same powder my two 6.5x55 rifles like.

Didn't realize how "young" the 260Rem was. I see why so many 6.5mm variant exist but there's nothing one couldn't do with 260Rem with the right barrel.

bihj said:

It's easier to start with 243 brass.

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I did this as well but to 7mm08, neck wasn't quite thick enough, but the test rounds functioned well. I also necked down some 308 win brass, but didn't have a neck turning tool so I ran them back through the 308 die set.

It's a smaller resize from 243 to 264 than from 308 to 264.

Legionnaire said:

About out of H414, though, so have some test loads built with RL16.

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I actually found some H414 in a box of stuff I stashed away at my dad's. No clue what I had in mind when I got it. Only a 1# can but you're the first person that I've seen mention it in a looooong time.

eastbank said:

my rem 700 in .260 has a 1x8 twist and 24 " barrel and likes n-560,the same powder my two 6.5x55 rifles like.

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@eastbank, that's not factory is it? I thought Remingtons were 1:9. Mine is 1:8.5, but it's a Defensive Edge built on a 700 action.

factory, bought new from bud,s. remington 700 SA dull finish syn stocked, paid 450.00 + shipping.

I picked up a 1-8 barrel several years before I found it in the corner of my loading closet and wondered what tha heck is in here. Well then I had to build something so the journey began.

There are a ton of wildcats, as well as just standard ol stuff. I wanted something easy, relatively cheap, and something that would be decent at close or long range. Initially it was the 6.5-06 AI, which quickly turned into the 260 AI and finally the standard ol 260 Rem. I picked up a donor Rem 7 and away we went.

The Smith said load between 38 and 44grs of H4350 with a 140 and be happy. So I'm loading 42.5 with the 140gr Hornady Spitzer Flat Base and it just works.

eastbank said:

factory, bought new from bud,s. remington 700 SA dull finish syn stocked, paid 450.00 + shipping.

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Very cool.

I was shooting the .260 Rem before it was adopted by Remington. That's back in the 1980's and before when we necked .308 brass down to 6.5mm, (.264") and called it 6.5-08. It was popular in high power across-the-course competitions, and still is as the .260 Rem. Also, then as now, a popular choice in Silhouette competitions because of excellent long range accuracy combined with relative mild recoil. My standard load is Sierra 107 MK's for pigs and chickens, and 140MK's for turkeys and rams.. My Hunter Class ,260 is M-700 DM, one of the few rifle I own with synthetic stock. It is as accurate as it needs to be, with Krieger barrel turned to original factory dimensions as per rule requirement.

Local gun store has what looks lime dozens of boxes of 260 Remington on the shelf. Seems like nobody wants it. Lol

Actually, his dad had the store and died... then it sat through this mess with a huge stash of ammo until his son opened it back up... and one of the few calibers left in huge quantity is the 260 Remington. Go figure. Seems lime a great caliber on paper.

Anyway, if you or someone else is interested in a bunch of 260 Rem ammo, let me know.

I would just buy 260 brass, starline makes good brass and has it in stock. I like the head stamp to be correct, also would not have neck thickness issues.